Southwest · 2 nights · March to May, and October to November. Summers are a steam room.
Chongqing
A mountain port where the map lies, because the street you want is eight floors above you.
Cliffs, cable cars, a hotter pot
Chongqing is Chengdu's louder cousin and should not be folded into the same day. The city is vertical. Stations, hotels, and restaurants that look adjacent on a flat map are often a cliff apart, which is why the Yangtze cable car and the Hongya Cave night view exist — and why taxis sometimes refuse a 'short' hop that is actually a spiral. Eat hotpot here if you eat it once: the broth is fiercer, the beef is the point, and the late sitting is normal. Give it two nights, not an afternoon layover.
See
Hongya Cave, from across the river 洪崖洞
The interior is a mall with a costume. The view from the far bank at dusk is the photograph.
Yangtze cable car 长江索道
A short, useful ride between cliffs. Book or queue early. It is transit with a view, not an amusement park.
Liziba monorail 李子坝
The train that passes through a building. Watch one pass, then leave. The platform is a crowd by design.
Ciqikou 磁器口
An old river town swallowed by the city. Go in the morning for tea and alleys before the snack street peaks.
Eat
Chongqing hotpot
Beef, tripe if you want it, a lot of chili and pepper. 微辣 is still hot. Share a split pot.
Xiaomian
Breakfast noodles, alkaline, spicy, fast. This is the bowl that explains the city better than a banquet.
Grilled fish or late barbecue
A whole fish in chili oil is a night meal. Come hungry and expect the room to be loud.